


Chivalrous Intentions

by TheLonelyJournalKeeper



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:58:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4109929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelyJournalKeeper/pseuds/TheLonelyJournalKeeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A dissection in Biology class goes wrong but it does bring up a golden opportunity for Cress to spend some time with her crush, Carswell Thorne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chivalrous Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> "i fainted during the dissection and you’re the one who caught me" au. Cresswell fluff <3

Cress wouldn’t say she was squeamish. Overly empathic and sheltered? Sure, but not squeamish. 

So it was for entirely un-squeamish reasons that she was not looking forward to the dissection what would happen in science class later that day. 

She’d been loving science (and most of her classes to be fair) so far, having been ‘homeschooled’ by an absentee foster mother for most of her life. 

But that had all changed when her birth father had found her and sued for custody. 

So now she was in public school with proper teachers _and_ actual classmates.

There were pros and cons to this. Access to better technology and classes were a pro. So was seeing more of the world and regular experiences. 

Waking up at six was a con and so was dealing with people who Cress had learned could be very unpleasant and scary. 

There were a few big pros though. One of them was Carswell Thorne, a junior who Cress was completely smitten with. He was handsome and charming and best of all took the same Science class as Cress and happened to have a seat next to hers. 

The same Science class there was going to be a dissection in. 

Oh dear. 

So it was with very mixed emotions that Crescent Moon Darnel entered Advanced Biology that afternoon and took her seat. 

Thorne wasn’t there yet. Cress supposed he was off talking with his numerous cool friends. 

Cress’s lab partner was there though. She’d already taken her seat at the table she and Cress shared and was absently skimming through the text book while she waited. 

Cress took her seat beside the dark haired girl whose name was Linh Cinder. 

Cress didn’t know her very well but she was nice enough to Cress and rather well known through out the school for a variety of reasons. 

One) she was pretty, a fact she seemed unaware of. 

Two) she was smart, particularly when it came to fixing things. 

Three) Kai, the most popular boy in school had a huge crush on her, another fact the girl seemed oblivious of. 

Thorne entered the room moments before class was about to start and slid into his seat on the other side of Cress. 

She immediately felt her heart rate spike and she took him in out of the corner of her eye. 

He looked incredibly handsome as always, lips curved into a mischievous smirk, blonde hair fashionably tousled. 

The teacher began speaking and Cress snapped her attention away from her crush with some difficulty. 

The teacher directed them as to what to do, and Cress organized their workspace whilst Cinder stood up and got what they were going to be dissecting: a frog. 

Cress swallowed nervously as Cinder placed it on the table between them looking only minority revolted. 

This didn’t surprise Cress, Cinder was not one to fear getting her hands dirty. 

Neither was Cress but the idea of slicing open a once living creature to look at its insides even in the name of science sickened her. 

Cinder didn’t protest as Cress let her do most of the work while she took notes. 

Everything was fine though Cress gave an audible “Eeep!” as they made the first incision until…

“What is that?” Cinder said, sounding a bit grossed out and confused. 

Cress, who had thus far avoided looking into the frog except in small glances and had been taking shallow breathes to avoid any scents, looked over to see what Cinder was talking about. 

The frog had been spliced open in one deep cut along its belly and it had been pealed apart to see its internal organs better. 

Cress gasped at the sight of heart, and stomach, and who knows what else exposed to the open air. 

And then she was falling. She’d been feeling a bit light headed before this (probably from the shallow breathes or nerves) but now she felt insubstantial, unreal as her legs gave out from under her. 

Her vision didn’t seem to be working properly but she felt, as though from a distance, arms seize around her from behind and break her fall. 

Her brain was too addled to wonder who but she did register their warmth and strength, a very grounding feeling. 

A few moments later, (though it felt like no time at all) she blinked her eyes open and took a deep breathe. The scent of frog made her want to pass out again but the realization that she was being held upright by someone made her scramble to regain her bearings. 

She took to her own feet and turned to see who it was who has caught her and thank them but instead gasped and stammered. 

It was Carswell Thorne. 

“No need to thank me.” He smirked. “It was my pleasure.” 

Cress closed her mouth to prevent from stuttering out a thank you anyways. But since saying thank you was out, Cress was left speechless. 

Fortunately Cinder stepped in. “Oh my gosh, Cress.” She said, alarmed. “Are you okay?” 

“Y-yeah.” She said. “Totally fine.” 

Cinder waited for her to elaborate but Cress didn’t say anything. 

“If you’re sure…are you sure you don’t want to see the nurse or something? I mean…you did…pass out.” 

“Good idea, Cinder.” Thorne said, winningly. “I’ll take you there, Cress.” 

“Wh-wha.” Cress’s eyes widened. She was certainly not adverse to the idea, far from it, but she hadn’t even been aware Thorne knew her name. 

Cinder raised an eyebrow at the boy. “That’s awfully kind of you.” She said. “Are you failing Bio or something? Hoping to get some free answers off her?” 

“What do you mean by that?” Cress said, equal parts outraged and confused. 

“Nothing against you, Cress.” Cinder said. “But Thorne here’s never done a good deed unless he had something to gain from it.” 

Thorne touched a hand to his chest in mock offense. “How dare you. I assure you I’ve always had utterly chivalrous intentions whenever I’ve helped someone.” 

Cress felt a bit like her worldview was being shattered at this exchange, from Cinder’s accusation to Thorne’s not-so-sincere rebuttal of it.

“So how ‘bout it, Cress?” He offered. 

She nodded. No matter what Cinder said, she couldn’t turn down an opportunity to learn more about Thorne. 

“Go with him if you like,” Cinder said. “I can handle things here.” 

“Thanks.” Cress said, gratefully. 

She waved her off. “Don’t do anything stupid, Thorne. I’ve gotten rather attached to my lab partner.” 

Cress rather felt she was missing some context but she happily took Carswell’s offered hand and followed him out the door. 

Behind her, she heard Cinder’s curt explanation to the teacher. 

“Cress fainted while you were distracted with the rest of the class. Thorne’s taking her to the nurse’s office.” 

The teacher must’ve excepted this as no one came after them. 

This both panicked and thrilled Cress as it meant she had the entire walk to the nurse’s office alone with Thorne. 

“So what was that about?” She asked, uncertainly. 

“You mean what Cinder was talking about?” 

Cress nodded. 

“Cinder seems to be under the impression I’m some kind of player or something.” He told her. 

“Well are you?” She asked, hoping for a laugh. 

“That depends what you mean by ‘player’,” He said with a crooked grin. 

Her heart pattered. 

“Player or not, it was very chivalrous of you to catch me.” She said. 

“I suppose it was.” He changed the subject.”You’re in AV club, right? Word is you’re a real tech genius.” 

Cress blushed. “I’m pretty good, I guess. I spent a lot of time on a computer growing up. I wasn’t really allowed to go outside.” 

She cursed herself internally. Why had she told him that? He didn’t want to know about her previously screwy home life. 

“Controlling parents, huh?” He said. “Well I can relate to you there.” 

“Really?” Cress said, surprised. For some reason she’d never imagined his home life as anything less than perfect. 

He waved his hand as if to brush aside the matter. “I was allowed to go outside so I reckon you had it worse.” 

“It was…pretty bad.” She admitted, quietly. “But it’s all good now!” She brightened. “My birth father found me and got me away from her. Life has been a lot better since then.” 

“Your birth father? So you were raised by an adoptive parent?” 

He was either genuinely interested or good at faking it. Cress hoped it was the former. 

“Uh huh. Her name was Mistress Sybil.” 

“Mistress? What on earth did she do for a living?” 

“I have no idea.” Cress admitted. “Questions were not encouraged.” 

Thorne let out a low whistle. “Well you’ve got me beat. But no more depressing stuff. We’ve arrived.” 

Thorne opened the door for her and took a seat outside the nurse’s while she went in. 

Cress didn’t particularly like being in a nurse’s office, nurses reminded her of needles and needles reminded her of Sybil and she’d had enough of those memories. 

Still, as nurse’s offices went, this was a nice one. The lights weren’t too bright, it was neatly organized and the nurse didn’t seem mean, even when Cress explained she was almost certainly fine. 

“It was just the frog that did it. We were dissecting them in class.” 

The nurse nodded sagely. “We get one or two students in here every time they do dissections. It’s an old fashioned practice in my opinion. I reckon they should stop doing them. You can do all that type thing online anyhow.” 

“Yes,” Cress agreed. “I think that would be a good idea.” 

“You just sit there. I’ll just fix you a cup of tea,” the nurse said, cheerily. “There’re few things a cuppa tea can’t fix.” 

“Thank you,” Cress said politely as the nurse fixed her a cup of tea with the small tea set she seemed to keep in her office. 

Cress supposed there were many medicinal properties to tea, as she took a sip. It wasn’t bad either. She’d gotten it too a good temperature and the flavor was pleasant. 

“Peppermint,” The nurse supplied. “Fortify you it will. Nice strong cup of peppermint.” 

Once Cress had finished the cup of tea, a good ten minutes had passed. 

“D’ya feel all better now?” 

Cress nodded. “Thank you. I feel perfectly fine now.” 

“Alright then. You run along to your class now.” The nurse smiled. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Cress said, smartly, tugging open the door. 

Thorne was still there which surprised her. Perhaps it oughtn’t have as he didn’t seem to particularly enjoy Bio, but surely it was more interesting than waiting for her. 

“All better now?” He asked, wearing a mischievous smile as always. 

“Yes, thank you.” She smiled back. 

“Good!” He said. “I suppose we have to head back to class now.” 

“Yes, I suppose we do.” Cress said. “I hope we didn’t miss anything important.” 

“Mhhm yeah.” Thorne agreed. “Probably couldn’t afford that.” 

“Oh?” Cress said. “So you are failing biology!” 

“Shh.” He smirked. “Don’t tell anybody.” 

“I could help you if you like.” Cress offered. “Unless that’s what you were after all along in which case I will have to take offense and not help you.” 

Thorne laughed. 

He had a very nice laugh. Cress should like to incite it some more. 

“I guess I won’t be able to tell you what my intentions were in offering to walk you here then.” He smirked. “Because I’d like to take you up on that offer.” His eyes twinkled and Cress felt heat rush to her face. 

“Gr-great!” She said. “Uh uh when would you like to meet up?” 

“Whenever’s fine,” he said offhandedly. “Here.” He pulled out a pen and scrap of paper. “Have my number. You can shoot me a text when and where you’d like to meet up.” 

Cress tried to keep the beaming down to a minimum but the guy of her dreams had just offered her his number so it was a struggle. 

“Th-that’d be great!” She said, taking the scrap of paper and holding it close. “Oh look we’re here.” She pointed at the door in front of them. With luck they’d be able to catch the end of the lesson and the assignment.

“Thanks again, C-Carswell.” 

“It was my pleasure.” He said. 

The two entered the class room and Cress took her seat in between Cinder and Thorne, ignoring the inquiring look Cinder sent her. 

Suffice it to say, Cress found it very hard to focus on the rest of the lesson. 


End file.
